


So We Walk Alone

by AvengerMutantPeculiar



Category: Wonder Woman (2017)
Genre: Antiope and Mena are the best, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, I just need more gay female characters, My First Fanfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-16
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2018-12-30 14:15:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12110517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvengerMutantPeculiar/pseuds/AvengerMutantPeculiar
Summary: What if Diana wasn't the only child in Themyschira? What if she had a friend, someone who would go with her to Man's World. What if it wasn't just about what they deserved, but what you believe in.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fanfiction I publish, and I'm a little nervous. English is not my first language and I apologise for any mistakes. Hope you enjoy! :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first time I post a fanfiction and I'm a little nervous. English is not my first language, I apologise for any mistakes. Hope you enjoy!

The sound of the waves crashing into the shore broke the silence of the quiet morning. Antiope’s horse walked slowly and calmly, as if the stallion knew that there was no imminent danger ahead. And there wasn’t, Antiope just wanted to go for a ride before breakfast. And she found the beautiful beaches of Themyschira rather soothing. Old habits were difficult to forget and waking up before sunrise was one of them, which really annoyed Menalippe. I just want to wake up next to you, she had told Antiope a thousand times. But the General couldn’t help it, the warrior inside her was always restless even though she knew that they were safe in Themyschira. She would have to make it up to her lover later, she thought with a wicked smile stretching her lips.

A sudden noise broke her current line of thought. It sounded like the crying from a baby, but Antiope knew that it was impossible. The only baby there was in the whole island was her nephew Diana, and she was with her mother Hippolyta. Nevertheless, she forced her horse into a faster pace and followed the sound to find its source.

When she found it, she couldn’t believe her eyes: there was a small basket on the shore and inside of it there was what it looked like a little baby. She dismounted and approached the basket cautiously. Instinctively, she put a hand on the hilt of her sword. When she got close enough she confirmed that there was indeed a baby in the basket. It was crying angrily and punching the air with its little fists. Antiope kneeled on the shore’s sand and pick the baby up carefully. She discovered that a blanket was the only thing covering it and after further inspection she found out that the baby was in fact female. There were no notes or other objects in the basket, there was no way for Antiope to know where did the baby come from. She turned her eyes to the blue ocean searching for a boat, but she found nothing. The baby started crying louder and Antiope turned her attention to the small bundle in her arms.

“It’s okay, it’s okay…” she murmured trying to calm down the little girl. As soon as she started talking, the baby stopped crying and stared at her with wide blue eyes. She couldn’t be older than Diana, and Antiope knew that a baby that young wouldn’t survive long without her mother. 

What am I going to do with her? She asked herself. She sighed and stroked the baby’s cheek softly. She frowned when her fingertips touched something that wasn’t soft baby skin. She looked at the baby’s face closer and discovered a strange dark stain on her left cheek. She touched it again, it’s surface was hard and cooler than the skin surrounding it. It was probably just a birthmark, she thought to herself without giving it further importance. She had more pressing matters to attend, deciding what to do with the baby for example.

Finally, she decided that the smartest thing to do would be talking to her sister Hyppolita. The Amazon queen would know what to do. She carefully put the baby in the basket again and picked it up. Getting on her horse while hugging the basket close to her chest wasn’t easy, but Antiope managed to do it rather quickly. She made sure the basket wouldn’t fell off before riding as fast as she could back to the Amazon village. The stallion obeyed her orders without hesitation, galloping at an incredible speed through the green fields that surrounded the small village. Antiope slowed down a little bit when she arrived at the village, the streets so busy that she had to be careful not to run over anyone. At last, she arrived at the palace gates. She slowly dismounted, her attention completely focused on the baby’s wellbeing, and gave her stallion’s reigns to one of the Amazons that took care of the queen’s horses. The Amazons guarding the doors saluted her with respect and let her in, not without giving the basket she was carrying a curious glance. 

Antiope found her sister in her private quarters with a sleeping Diana in her arms. Her hair was golden as the crown that rested upon her head. 

“My Queen” she bowed her head in respect.

“Antiope!” the queen smiled brightly at her “I didn’t expect you to come so early.”

“I need your opinion on a matter” she said with a serious tone completely different to Hippolyta’s joyful one.

“What matter?” the Queen asked and she hugged Diana closer to her chest in a protective manner.

Antiope brought the basket to her sister and showed her what was inside. The baby observed both women curiously. Hippolyta’s eyes widened with surprise and she stared at Antiope in disbelief.

“I’ve found her in one of our beaches, alone” Antiope explained “she could be the survivor of a ship wreck, but it’s just an assumption. Though I know one thing for sure: she’s from Man’s World”

The Queen stayed in silence, probably thinking about the General’s words. Finally, she looked up to Antiope with a decisive look in her eyes.

“I think we can both agree on the fact that she is not a menace” the Queen sighed “but this matters very little, after all without her mother her chances of survival are almost minimal”

Antiope nodded and looked down at the baby with sadness in her eyes. The little girl stared back at her, completely unaware of what was happening around her.

“Although” said Hippolyta drawing Antiope’s attention back to her “if someone took care of her, maybe she would live”

The Queen gave Antiope a meaningful glare. Antiope stared back at her in shock.

“Sister, are you sure?” Antiope asked in disbelief.

“We can’t just let her die” Hippolyta said matter-of-factly “and there is no other amazon who I trust more than you. Of course, I understand it is a great responsibility and if it is all too much I’m sure I can find someone else…”

“No, I’ll do it” said Antiope firmly and she hugged the basket closer to her chest.

“Good” Hippolyta smiled but her face turned quickly into a worried frown “don’t you think that… maybe…”

“Maybe?” Antiope repeated confused

“A last gift from the gods” she said, as if talking to herself “a companion for Diana”

Antiope remained silent, not sure of what to say. The gods had already given Themyschira to the Amazons and it had been a very generous gift. It seemed a little odd to receive another present, especially if it was a baby as old as Diana. Maybe the gods were sending them a message. But what message?

“It doesn’t really matter” said Hippolyta after seeing that her General wasn’t going to say anything “the gods have their reasons, and we should not question their actions. Antiope, you shall leave. I’m sure you must be really impatient to tell Menalippe the news”

“Yes, my Queen” Antiope bowed her head in respect before leaving the chamber, the basket close to her heart. The truth was she had forgotten about her lover, and now after the Queen’s words she was starting to panic. Why had she accepted such a big responsibility? How was she supposed to raise a child? And what terrified her most: how would Mena react?

She walked quickly to her home while her mind was buzzing with hundreds of questions. Fortunately, as she was the Queen’s General, the house where she and Mena lived was not far from the palace. She entered the small house without knocking on the door, her eyes immediately searching for Menalippe.

“My love, you’re home!” greeted a cheerful voice. Immediately after a tall Amazon with black hair tied in a braid ran to Antiope. She suddenly stopped when she saw what the blonde amazon was carrying.

“I found her on the shore” Antiope explained to a confused Menalippe “the Queen has asked me to raise her. With you”

Antiope anxiously waited for her lover’s reaction. Menalippe bit her lip in a thoughtful manner and walked to where Antiope was standing. She stared into the amazon’s eyes before looking at the baby inside the basket. She carefully took her in her arms and a small smiled appeared on her lips.

“She is beautiful, don’t you think?” Menalippe asked while gently rocking the baby “although she has a strange birthmark on her cheek”

Antiope stared at her in shock, she surely wasn’t expecting that reaction. She shook her head and put the basket on the ground before approaching Menalippe. 

“The Queen thinks she is a last gift from the gods” Antiope said.

“And what do you think?” Mena asked turning her head to stare at Antiope.

“I don’t know” the General admitted “she comes from Man’s World, but is impossible to know how did she arrive to Themyschira”

“Well, it doesn’t matter anymore. She is an Amazon now” said Menallipe confidently and she added with whisper “our little Amazon”

Antiope fell in silence once again. Her life had taken a completely unexpected turn and her mind was still trying to fully understand it.

“We should give her a name” she finally said.

“What about… Ariadne?” asked Menalippe.

“Ariadne” repeated Antiope “the woman that helped Theseus kill the Minotaur”

“The name of a warrior”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to snerdygeek for reading al my stories and to Airin for being an awesome fan!


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here goes the first chapter! Enjoy!

It had been Diana’s idea. It was always Diana’s idea. I didn’t like skipping class, Mena said that learning was important. And Mena was always right. But Diana was really persuasive. It probably had to do with the fact that she was my only friend, wherever one of us went the other followed. After all, we were the only children in Themyschira. Sometimes I tried to imagine what it would be like if we weren’t friends. I always got to the same conclusion: my life would be extremely boring and lonely without Diana.

“Diana! Ariadne!” shouted Mnemosyne behind us. I started running faster instinctively, knowing well that she would soon get tired of chasing us. She wasn’t the first teacher we had.

“Faster Ariadne, faster!” my friend said as we ran through the streets of the island. She offered me her hand and I took it without hesitation. Running hand in hand, we burst into a busy square where Amazons were buying and selling a large variety of goods. Almost all of them stopped what they were doing to smile happily at us.

“Good morning princess!” one of them called out.

“Hello Diana! Good morning Ariadne.” said another one.

We waved at them merrily. Everyone knew who we were, and probably a lot of the Amazons knew where we were going. Some stared at me a little longer than at Diana but I knew they weren’t being mean, just curious. Antiope didn’t like it when people stared at me but it didn’t bother me. I was used to people looking at the green scales that covered half of my left cheek, and the ones that circled my right wrist like a bracelet. They made me different than the rest of amazons but that wasn’t a bad thing. Diana was different too, in other ways, and nobody seemed to mind.

We soon arrived at our usual hiding spot. Below us there was the meadow where the warriors were training. More than a dozen Amazons were fighting, each with their own weapon and style. On the far side of the training camp I could see amazons riding horses while fighting each other at the same time. Others were shooting arrows at targets so far away I could barely see them. I stared at all of them in awe and wondered if someday I would be training with them.

Diana started moving and I turned my attention to her. She was mirroring the movements of the warriors below us, punching and kicking as she was one of them. She soon started imitating Artemis’ movements. She was by far one of the best amazon warriors and she showed it by taking down every woman that tried to fight her with a blink of an eye. She was one of Diana’s favourites.

I smiled at her actions before staring back at the amazons training. I was looking for my two favourite warriors and soon enough I found them. Antiope’s tiara shone with the sun’s light as she walked through the meadow. Her blond her was tied back in a long braid, her blue eyes observing every woman. Mena often said that Antiope and I looked alike, both with blonde hair and blue eyes. I knew she just said it to make me happy. Antiope was tall, muscled and the best warrior the Amazon nation had ever had. I was short, even shorter than Diana, with chubby arms and legs and definitely not what someone would call a warrior. Despite this, I couldn’t help but wonder if one day I would be fighting by her side. I smiled at the thought.

My smiled widened as Antiope approached my other favourite warrior. Menalippe was observing a group of fighters practicing their skills. She had her arms crossed and brows furrowed showing her concentration on the Amazons fighting. Her black hair was tied in a braid, as Antiope’s, with some stray locks that rocked gently in the breeze. Antiope asked her something and Mena answered while nodding her head. Antiope seemed pleased with the answer and continued walking. She must have felt she was being watched, because she turned her head and looked at me. I showed her my most innocent smile. Antiope tried to stare at me in disapproval but I knew that she, unlike Mena, liked that Diana and I wanted to train with the other Amazons.

“Diana! Ariadne! I see you!” shouted Mnemosyne at our backs. Diana and I looked at each other before we started running again.

Our tutor was catching up, but luckily we were faster than her. We ran through the streets until my lungs burned and my legs ached.

“Follow me!” shouted Diana as she took a sharp turn. Without hesitation I ran after her.

Diana was clearly excited by the thrill of the chase and maybe thought that she was one of the Amazons we had seen at the meadow, because she suddenly shouted “This way!” and launched herself to a path below the one we were running on. The only problem was that the path was a bit farther down than what would be considered a safe jump distance.

“Diana!” I yelled as I tried to reach for her. But I was too slow. I stared helplessly as my best friend fell. Suddenly, a hand grabbed Diana’s arm stopping her fall. Queen Hippolyta was holding her with strong fingers as she weighted nothing. I sighed in relief.

“Ariadne!” a voice called, and this time it wasn’t Mnemosyne’s. I turned around to see Antiope on her house with Artemis by her side. She approached me with a worried frown on her face.

“Are you all right?” she asked me as she dismounted “I heard you scream Diana’s name.”

“I’m fine” I assured her “Diana had fallen, but she is with the Queen now.”

“Good” she nodded “come, you should get back to school before Mena realizes you have escaped again.”

“Yes mother” I said with a little smile. Antiope gave me her _what am I going to do with you_ look and shook her head, She helped me onto her horse’s saddle before she mounted behind me. She embraced me with her arms and took the reins. She clicked her tongue and the stallion moved forward. Artemis followed.

Soon enough we met with the Queen and her personal guard. Diana was mounted on her mother’s horse, the Queen’s arms embracing her in a protective manner. My friend grinned at me, not worried at all about the consequences of our actions. Which meant that the Queen wasn’t mad at her.

“Antiope thinks I’m ready” Diana blurted out. Oh no, not this again. The Queen would let us train when she thought we were ready, not before. I looked at Hippolyta but she didn’t seem angry with the comment, just slightly amused. Her golden hair was held in place by her tiara, the symbol of her position.

“Does she?” the Queen asked and sent a questioning glare to Antiope. I turned trying to see my mother’s expression, but she just bowed her head in respect as we approached them.

“I could begin showing her some things…” said Antiope carefully as she guided her horse to the Queen’s side. Diana’s eyes immediately lighted up with excitement. The Queen didn’t answer.

“She should at least be able to defend herself” continued Antiope.

“From whom?” asked the Queen.

“In the event of an invasion” persisted Antiope with a serious tone.

“Isn’t that why I have the greatest warrior in our history leading an entire army, General?” answered Hippolyta.

“Sister…” started Antiope again, refusing to give up.

“Ariadne, my dear, what’s your opinion on this matter?” asked Hippolyta suddenly, cutting off Antiope’s sentences. I stared at her, completely caught off guard. Diana looked at me excitedly and I could almost hear her thoughts: Tell her we want to train, tell her!

“Diana and I would like to start training” I said in a quiet voice.

“Are these yours or my daughter’s words?” asked Hippolyta with a chuckle.

I turned and looked at Antiope for support. She nodded and smiled, encouraging me to continue.

“I want to be like my mothers” I finally answered “and for that I need to train.”

Hippolyta hummed thoughtfully and then shook her head. Antiope took her silence as an invitation to continue.

“I pray a day will never come where they have to fight, but you know that a scorpion must sting, a wolf must hunt…”

“They’re children” the Queen interrupted her sister again “the only children on the island. Please let them be so”

Hippolyta’s words were gentle but firm.I felt Antiope sigh behind me, but she said nothing.

“But Mother” protested Diana.

“There will be no training” the Queen declared and her tone admitted no discussion. With a quick movement she put Diana behind her on the saddle, and kicked her horse. As they left, my friend turned around and looked back at me. In her eyes I could see a promise: we would train.

And we did. Later that night, I was woken up by an urgent Antiope. I looked at her with my eyes half closed, confused by her actions. She simply pressed one finger over her lips signalling me to keep quiet. I nodded, excited and a little afraid, and followed her. We tiptoed down the stairs, Antiope moving like a panther and me, well, I looked more like a house cat. We arrived at the door and she offered me a cape before we headed out. She lighted the way with a lantern, moving fast through the sleeping island. I tried to keep up with her, but her legs were larger than mine and my left foot itched terribly. The skin there was dark red, and it would get darker before it finally turned into green scales. It always followed the same process: the skin turned red, a horrible itch appeared and it wouldn’t stop for a week until a new layer of scales covered my body. The only way to stop the pain was to wash the skin with warm water, something my mothers learned rather quickly when I was a baby. They soon discovered that my birthmark was something a bit more complicated.

Antiope stopped and put the lantern on the floor. We were just behind the palace but the trees that surrounded us offered protection against prying eyes. I didn’t understand what we were doing there, but Antiope looked like she was waiting for something or rather someone, so I kept quiet. Soon enough, we heard footsteps coming in our direction. Diana appeared before us, an excited smile on her lips. I looked at Antiope surprised. She didn’t say word and just offered both of us a wooden sword. I took mine cautiously, it was heavier than it looked. Antiope grabbed her own sword and made a thrust, stabbing an invisible enemy. She stared at us expectantly and we mirrored her movement. Or at least we tried. She seemed satisfied and moved on to the next thrust, the wooden swords following the steel one as its shadows. It was just a slow-motion battle, but that was the first time I swung a sword. The first time I fought by Diana’s side.

 

* * *

 

                                                                                   

Years passed, we were still young but our adventures became more reckless. We trained almost every night behind the Queen’s back. Even Mena didn’t know about it, but Antiope made me promise I wouldn’t tell her anything. And I always kept my promises.But Hippolyta did let Antiope teach us how to swim. A decision I was really grateful for, as I soon discovered I loved swimming. And Diana did too. It became our new hobby and we went to the beach every time we could.

That day Diana had asked me if I wanted to go running after breakfast. We both knew it was a way to prepare for our secret training, so I accepted. The day turned hotter than we had expected and a thin layer of sweat soon covered our bodies. I stopped under a tree’s shadow trying to recover my breath. Diana stopped too and offered me her canteen. I took it with a thankful smile and drank. The cold water tasted like heaven.

“We could go swimming” Diana proposed.

“I heard my mother tell Phillipus that there were pretty big waves today” I said giving her canteen back “she said it was a bad day to go swimming”

She took a sip and rolled her eyes.

“Come on! You know we are good swimmers!” she looked at me pleadingly “and I’m dying for a bath right now”

“I’m not sure…” I said, knowing it wasn’t a good idea.

“Please, please, please!” Diana pleaded giving me her best puppy eyes.

I sighed and finally nodded with a smile on my lips.

“If we see it’s too dangerous, we won’t do it okay?” my voice was serious and firm.

“Of course” said Diana “let’s go!”

We walked to the beach hand in hand, too tired to continue running. I liked the feeling of Diana’s warm skin against the scales on my wrist. And Diana seemed to like holding my hand, it was a familiar gesture.

Soon the ocean appeared before us. I took off my sandals to feel the warm sand with my bare feet. Diana did the same but she quickly threw her tunic on the sand too. She looked at me with shining eyes.

“Come on, let’s go!” she yelled before running to the water. At that moment, I could only think about the sweat covering my body, the burning sun over me and the welcoming sea just a few meters away. Without a second thought, I got rid of my tunic and followed Diana. The cold water licked my legs inviting me to go deeper. Diana already had the water at chest level and she waved at me. I walked until I was at her side and I splashed her playfully. She immediately splashed me back with a laugh.

“Let’s go deeper” she said and I nodded enthusiastically, the water felt so good. She started swimming and I followed her. We didn’t stop until my legs started to burn, and I could feel she was tired too. I looked back at the shore, the beach was farther than I had expected.

“We should get back” I suggested.

I turned at Diana but she was looking at something behind me. Her eyes were widened in terror.

“Ariadne, watch out!” she screamed but before I could do anything a huge wave covered me completely. My body was dragged down by the strong sea currents. I tried to swim to the surface, my legs kicking the water as hard as they could. When I finally got my head out of the water, my lungs were burning. I breathed the sweet air and finally got the chance to focus on what was happening.

“Ariadne!” it was Diana’s voice. I turned my head in the direction of the sound and I found my friend struggling to keep her head on the surface. I started swimming in her direction moving my arms and legs as fast as I could. I was almost there when the sea swallowed her.

“Diana!” I screamed, even though I knew she couldn’t hear me.

Desperately, I waited for her to reaper again, but she didn’t. I had to do something, nobody could last that long without breathing. I took a deep breath and I let the sea sunk me again. I opened my eyes but I could barely see anything and the salty water burned my eyes. Despite this, I didn’t give up and kept looking for Diana.

Suddenly, I felt a hand grabbing my ankle. I looked down and saw Diana, a desperate look on her face. I grabbed her hand and pulled her up. We could barely take a breath in before we were under the water again. She was too heavy, I couldn’t keep us afloat at the same time. She tried to pull me up but couldn’t either. She tried and tried, until she finally realised there was no point.

I clutched her hand incapable of letting go as I saw helplessly how little bubbles left my mouth. Darkness surrounded at us and I knew there was nothing we could do. Out of desperation I screamed under the water, even though I know nobody could hear me.

_Mom! Help me! Please!_

I screamed with my mind too, as our body sank deeper into the ocean. I could feel myself drifting away and I wasn’t afraid anymore. Diana intertwined our fingers, as if letting me now she was there and wasn’t going to leave me alone. I smiled, a last smile as my eyes closed.

And then, suddenly someone was pulling me up and I could feel air on my lungs again. I opened my eyes and started coughing. The sun hurt my eyes but I didn’t mind, I was alive. I clutched on the person who had saved me, finally letting go of Diana’s hand. Strong arms embraced me, pulling me closer to a muscled chest. I buried my head in a neck, too tired to even talk.

Whoever was carrying me moved swiftly through the waves. Finally, water stopped surrounding me. Another pair of arms took me and wrapped me in a warm towel. Until then I didn’t realise I was trembling.

“It’s okay, it’s okay” a soft voice spoked as its owner caressed my arms in a calming manner.

“Mama” I half whispered half cried.

“I’m here” Mena answered pulling me closer to her “everything is going to be okay”

I looked up at her and she smiled at me, worriedness still shining in her eyes. Silent tears rolled down my face. I still couldn’t believe what had just happened. I moved in Mena’s arms, suddenly worried for Diana. She was in the Queen’s arms, probably in the same state as me. But she was okay. We both were.

Hippolyta had her eyes fixed on something and I followed her gaze. She was looking at Antiope. The Amazon was soaked wet, water drops falling from her leathers. She had her hands on her waist and was looking straight at me. And her blue eyes, the gaze on them made me hide on Mena’s arms. She was beyond furious. I had never seen her like that.

“What were you thinking?” she asked in a completely calm voice.

I dropped my eyes incapable of maintaining eye contact with her.

“Antiope” Mena said and hugged me tighter.

“No Menalippe, don’t tell me to stop” she answered and asked again, this time more slowly “What. Where. You. Thinking.”

“I’m sorry” I started, my voice almost a whisper “it was really hot and we just wanted to swim a bit, we didn’t mean to…”

“You didn’t mean to what!?” she said screaming this time “to kill yourself!? Do you have any idea of what could have happened!?”

“I’m sorry” I repeated and started crying.

“You know how lucky you were that I was near enough to hear your screams?” she shook her head “what would have happened if I wasn’t there? Huh?”

I shrugged little confused. I hadn’t screamed, had I? I was underwater when I had yelled. There was no way she could have heard me.

“It’s my fault” Diana suddenly said “it was my idea. Ariadne said it could be dangerous, but I didn’t listen to her”

“Diana…” the Queen started shaking her head.

“I’m sorry” my friend said crying.

“I thought I had taught both of you better” Antiope said and gave me one last look before moving “guess I was wrong”

She stopped at my side, her mouth a thin line.

“You have deceived me” were her last words before she left.

 

After the incident, Diana and I lost our freedom. Our mothers decided that, until we earned their trust back, we wouldn’t see each other nor leave our homes. It was a harsh punishment in Diana’s opinion, but I thought we had earned it.

Mena and Antiope left every morning and didn’t return until the sky was dark. That meant I had the whole house for myself for most of the day, something that in other circumstances would have been great. But being alone all day with nothing to do was not exciting at all. Each hour lasted an eternity and the loneliness was killing me. I missed Diana terribly, more than I could have ever imagined. I often wondered if she was feeling the same and imagined her lying on her room’s floor, as I was lying on mine’s.

I could have tried to sneak out of the house and go see Diana, but it was too risky and I didn’t want to push my luck. Especially given the fact that the conversations between Antiope and me consisted basically of grunts and monosyllables. I really wanted her to stop being angry with me.

One day, Mena got tired of seeing me like that and told me I should find a new hobby. Something to entertain myself with.

“You could take care of the flowers in the garden” she suggested.

I had nothing to lose, so I gave it a try. It wasn’t a complicated task and it gave me the chance to get out of the house, even if it was just for a short period of time. Unfortunately, I got tired of it rather quickly. The flowers weren’t interesting at all and once when I tried to talk to them, an Amazon that was passing by looked at me like I was crazy. Maybe I was, because I actually hoped that the lily would answer. It never did. Rude.

And so I found myself with nothing to do. Again. Until the day I found some long- forgotten paintings in my room. I didn’t even remember how I got them, but it didn’t matter. They were a weapon to fight boredom and I was more than ready to wield it. I just needed to find one more thing: something to paint. The flowers were immediately out of the picture. That only left me with one option: Plato, my ginger cat.

I found him in the kitchen, eating the breakfast leftovers. He was always either eating or sleeping, he was too fat to be able to do anything else. Although I would never admit it out loud. He simply was well fed. “Plato, come here” I cooed softly at him. He looked at me and meowled. I approached him and took him in my arms. He started purring immediately and rubbed against my cheek affectionately. He was heavier than I expected, had he won weight again? I carried him upstairs to my room, knowing that Plato wouldn’t be able to climb the stairs by himself.

He had grown so much since the day I found him under some bushes in the garden. Back then, he was just a small orange furball and I immediately fell in love with him. Mena did too, and she decided that we could keep him. Antiope didn’t agree at first, but after some begging she let him live with us. And in the end, she was the one who spoiled him more.

I put him on my bed and told him to stay still, even though I knew he wasn’t going to move. I arranged the paintings neatly on the floor before I sat down, brush in my hand. Plato stared at me, a curious glint on his green eyes. I stared back, trying to memorise every detail. When I thought I was ready, I turned my attention on the white canvas in front of me. I dipped the brush in the paint and left the first stain of colour. It wasn’t long until I found myself completely focused with the matter at hand. I forgot everything that surrounded me and entered my own private world. From time to time I turned my attention back to Plato, who lied lazily on the bed with his tail flicking from side to side.

Finally, I finished. I admired my work and decided that, even though I had never done it, it wasn’t really bad. In fact, I was rather proud of it. I showed it to Plato with a big smile.

“What do you think?” He stared at it for a few seconds before meowling. “I’ll take it as you like it” I said cheerfully.

Painting had actually improved my mood, I should do it more often.

At that moment I heard the main door open. My moms were home, and they couldn’t have chosen a better timing. I excitedly grabbed the painting and rushed downstairs, taking two steps at a time. They both looked up from what they were doing when I appeared in front of them. I proudly showed them the painting, a smile on my lips. Mena took it, my excitement clearly passing on to her, and carefully studied it. She nodded, a tender smile on her lips.

“This is really good” she praised me “it clearly shows how much you care for Plato”

Antiope approached her and looked at the painting over Mena’s shoulder. Her gaze was serious but I could see a small smile tugging her lips. The first smile I had seen since that fateful day. I couldn’t have been happier.

Seeing the positive impact my painting had had, I decided to show it to whoever I could. In truth, it was also because I was really proud of it. I showed it to the royal guards when I saw them patrolling in front of our home, to every Amazon who came to visit my mothers and I even showed it to Penthesilea, the Amazon who had seen me talking with the flowers and though I was crazy. And they all told me that my painting was amazing.

But one night, my moms invited Artemis and Phillipus to have dinner with us. Phillipus had already seen it, but Artemis hadn’t. And so I showed it to her with a bright smile. The Amazon looked at it with a serious frown. Seconds passed by, but she didn’t say anything. I started to grow nervous and glanced at Mena. But she looked as confused as me. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she opened her mouth.

“I’m sorry” and it looked like she really was “but I don’t understand why have you painted an orange potato with stripes”

After that, I spent every day perfecting my painting skills. Artemis became my personal critic, as apparently she was the only one who would tell me what she really thought of my work. I still would show it to Mena though, if I needed encouragement. Plato started to like being painted and he purred every time he saw me with my brush. And I finally found an activity to occupy my days with.

At last, one day Artemis pronounced the words I had been waiting for.

“That’s a nice picture of your cat” she said smiling.

My face lit up immediately and before I realised what I was doing, I picked Plato up and started jumping up and down in excitement. The cat didn’t even complain, he was already used to me. Mena laughed, happy to see me like that while Antiope just shook her head, as if she couldn’t believe the scene in front of her.

“Ariadne please put the cat down before he gets sick” Antiope said with a serious tone, but she was smiling and I realised she wasn’t angry.

I put Plato on the floor, where he lied down, and took the painting from Artemis’ hands. I approached Antiope with a hopeful smile.

“Could you give it to Diana?” I asked “I want her to have it”

“Why don’t you give it to her yourself?” Antiope answered.

“Really?” I asked not quite believing it.

My mother sighed and nodded.

“Thank you thank you thank you!” I said as I hugged her as hard as I could.

Antiope laughed and hugged me back. And just like that, I knew she had forgiven me. Because after all she was my mother, and she would always forgive me.

“You should get going before it gets dark” said Mena, her eyes sparkling with happiness.

I let Antiope go, and ran to the door. I opened it and, after screaming a “goodbye” over my shoulder, sprinted to the cobble-stoned pathway.

I clutched the painting with both hands as I forced my legs to go faster. My heart was beating fast in my chest, and it pounded even harder when I thought of seeing Diana again. I followed the path until the palace’s gates were right in front of me. I crossed them without slowing down, startling the guards that were guarding them. Once I was inside, I turned right to where I remembered the garden was. One of Diana’s favourite spots.

“Ariadne!” I heard her voice before I saw her.

She was seated cross-legged under an oak tree, a book on her knees. But she forgot about it when she saw me and quickly scrambled to her legs. I smiled and stopped running, trying to catch my breath. Diana came to where I was standing, a surprised expression on her face. Before she could open her mouth, I gave the painting to her.

“It’s for you” I explained.

She took it and stared at it. I anxiously waited for her reaction.

“It’s beautiful” she finally said and smiled “thank you”

And then, she hesitated. As if she wanted to do something but wasn’t sure if she should. I had never seen Diana hesitate, and so I stared curiously at her. After a few seconds, she seemed to make up her mind and approached me with soft steps. She bent down and tenderly kissed my scaly cheek. It was completely unexpected, but I didn’t dislike it. A warm feeling spread through my chest and my heart fluttered. When she stepped back, I could feel my face burn.

“I missed you” she whispered.

“I missed you too” I answered in the same tone.

I slowly reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. We smiled at each other and in that moment something clicked inside me. Everything was as it was supposed to be.

 

Since that day, when I was Diana it was different. Something had changed, but I didn’t know what. Sometimes I thought it was just my imagination, but then Diana would smile and my heart started beating faster. It was all so strange and I wasn’t able to comprehend it. Until the summer’s solstice.

Every year, there were big celebrations during the longest night of the year. The Amazons would eat and drink until dawn, and everyone could participate in the festivities.

I was wearing my best dress and Mena had braided my blonde hair. Phillipus had said that I looked really pretty, but she was one of Mena’s friends. Her opinion was most likely biased. I nervously played with my dress as I scanned the crowd, looking for the girl that made me feel so confused. Suddenly I felt someone tapping my shoulder. I turned around and my breath got taken away.

Before me stood Diana, more beautiful than I had ever seen her. Her soft black curls fell freely around her face and her black eyes shone with the light of the torches surrounding us.

“Ariadne” she greeted me.

“Diana” I answered and before I could stop myself I said “you look beautiful tonight”

“I was going to say the same thing” she giggled and I blushed.

She offered me her hand and I took it without hesitation, the familiar gesture immediately soothing me.

“Come, I want to show you something” she said before guiding me through the crowd.

I followed her with curiosity. Soon we left the celebration behind and the night’s silence embraced us. Our footsteps were the only sound breaking it. Diana guide me through the deserts village’s streets until I was completely lost. But she clearly knew where she was going.

It wasn’t long until we left the town behind too and the fields appeared in front of us. Diana turned left, to the sea, and I wondered if she wanted to go to the beach. Finally, we climbed a small hill. When we reached the top, Diana covered my eyes with her hands and made me turn around.

“Look” she said as she uncovered my eyes.

My eyes widened in amazement as I took the view in front of me. Below me, the dark sea spread until the horizon, where it met with the starry sky. The soft breeze stroked my face and played with my dress.

“It’s amazing” I whispered, afraid of breaking the silence.

“Yes, it is” Diana said at my side. She sat down at the verge of the cliff, her legs hanging above the waters below. She patted the spot beside her and looked at me. I sat at her side, we were so close our arms touched.

The breeze became cold and I shivered. Diana surrounded my waist with her arm pulling me closer to her body’s warmth. I relaxed in her embrace and put my head on her shoulder.

We stayed in that position gazing at the sea until Diana kissed the top of my head. I shivered again, but this time it was for a different reason. I looked up to her and found her staring back at me. Her eyes dropped down to my lips and I suddenly realised how close our faces were. My heart beated faster in my chest as I saw her getting closer to me. I also brought my face closer to her. And suddenly my lips were on hers and I didn’t know what I was supposed to do. I had seen my mothers kiss each other a million times, but in practice it was more complicated than I thought. Diana started moving her lips against mine and I followed her lead. After a few moments, I started to relax and realised I enjoyed the feeling. Diana’s hands moved to my waist and mine tangled themselves in her curls. She pulled me closer, deepening the kiss, but suddenly our teeth clashed with eachother.

We quickly pulled away, and I started giggling in embarrassment. Diana soon joined me and our laughter filled the night with sound.

“I… that was…” I said trying to find the right words.

“I know” said Diana and smiled.

“You know what they say” I blushed “practice makes perfect”

She laughed and pressed her forehead against mine. Her eyes stared at mine and then I realised: I liked her. Before the words could escape my lips, I kissed her again. She immediately kissed back, her arms embracing me. I cupped her face and silently thanked the stars for the beautiful girl that made my head spin.


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soo sorry for the late update! I wanted to post, really, live just got in the way. Anyways, thank you very much to everyone who has left kudos or just read!!!! It really means a lot. Ok, enough talking. Enjoy :)

The swords clashed against each other sending sparkles into the air. Antiope’s sword met Diana’s again, forcing my friend to step back. I watched them seated on a nearby fallen tree, observing every one of their movements. My sword was at my side, catching the sunlight with its blade.

My mother had started to train us again after the summer solstice. The training sessions became more complicated as we grew up, and we soon discovered that there was more to being a warrior than just knowing how to use a weapon. When Antiope considered we were ready, she made us fight against each other. I learned Diana’s weakness and strengths, although I didn’t always know how to use this knowledge. Sometimes, Antiope would fight one of us herself, the fight always ending with her as the winner. And that morning’s fight wasn’t likely to be any different. Antiope was attacking with strikes and blows Diana could barely block with her own sword. Step by step, she was slowly retreating.

“You keep doubting yourself, Diana.” said Antiope in disapproval.

“No, I don’t” answered Diana, defiant as always.

“Yes, you do” insisted Antiope as she sent another blow in Diana’s direction.

“No, I don’t” repeated my friend.

Antiope didn’t seem to like the answer, and she doubled her strikes. Diana was caught off guard and barely had time to protect herself. Her legs tangled under her and she fell on her back, hard. I immediately stood up and kneeled to Diana’s side.

“I’m okay” she told me, her pride hurt.

“You must dig deeper or you will never find your inner power” said Antiope “you’re stronger than you believe…”

An unmistakable voice interrupted her. Diana and I exchanged a panicked glance. We had finally been discovered.

“Diana!” the Queen yelled as she approached us, a tow of guards behind her. I helped Diana get to her feet, and sent a worried glance in Antiope’s direction. Her eyes met mine, her expression remaining calm. I calmed down a little, my mom looked like she knew what she was doing. The Queen dismounted her horse, looking beyond furious, and approached us. Antiope met her halfway but Hippolyta had her eyes on her daughter.

“Are you hurt?” she asked.

“Mother, I’m fine” said Diana with her most sincere expression “I was just…”

“Training” finished the Queen as she turned to Antiope “It seems I am not the revered Queen I should be. Disobeyed, betrayed by my own sister…”

I thought her words where a little too hard. She must have known she couldn’t keep Diana from training forever. My mother opened her mouth to say something, but Diana talked first.

“No, Mother. It was me. I asked her to…”

The Queen sighed and shook her head, silencing my friend. She turned to one of guards.

“Take her to the palace” she looked at Diana “off you go.”

The guard, Aella I thought was her name, dismounted her horse and approached us. Diana reluctantly dropped her sword to the ground and followed the Amazon.

“Go with her” said Antiope. I nodded and gave her my sword. After that I ran to Diana, who was waiting for me.

We started walking, side by side, following Aella. When we were out of earshot, Diana started speaking.

“What do you think will happen now?” she whispered, trying to speak without Aella hearing us.

“I don’t know” I whispered back “but I don’t think they will stop us from training.”

“They can try” Diana huffed.

I chuckled knowing she was right. Diana always got what she wanted, no matter what. She smiled at me and grabbed my hand, squeezing it. I brought our linked hand to my lips and kissed softly the back of her hand. She blushed, and leaned closer to kiss my hand. Now it was my turn to blush. I looked into her brown eyes as she stared at mine, and felt happy. I didn’t realise we had stopped walking and were standing in the middle of the pathway until Aella cleared her throat politely. I turned back to reality with a startle, my face bright red. Diana laughed, completely unfazed by the situation, and started to walk again pulling me with her. I followed her staring at the ground, uncapable of looking at Aella. I stayed in silence, too embarrassed to say anything. Diana seemed to not mind the silence, until she leaned towards me.

“Let’s go to your house.” she whispered.

“What?” I looked at her, confused.

“I don’t want to go back to the palace.” she explained “I feel like a caged animal in there.”

“You do realise my house is smaller than the palace, right?” I joked.

Diana rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh.

“You know what I mean.”

“I do. But we can’t just ignore your mother’s orders” I stated.

“Why not?” Diana asked innocently. I stared at her in disbelief.

“Maybe because she is the Queen?”

“She might be the Queen, but I am the Princess.” Diana flashed a wicked smile and winked at me. Before I could stop her from doing what she was thinking, she opened her mouth.

“Aella?” The Amazon turned and stared at Diana with a curious glance.

“Yes, Princess?”

“I think I might prefer to go to Ariadne’s house, if you don’t mind” Diana said with her sweetest voice.

“Well, the Queen… she said…” Aella looked dubious, as if she didn’t know how was she supposed to answer.

“My Mother won’t mind” Diana assured her “Antiope is my aunt, it’s fine if I stay at her house.”

Aella bit her lip, clearly not knowing what to do. She didn’t want to disobey her Queen, but Diana could be very convincing when she wanted to. The Amazon shifted her gaze between me and Diana. I stared into her eyes, trying to give her a reassuring smile. Finally, Aella sighed and nodded.

“I’ll escort both of you to the General’s home” she said and started walking again.

As soon as she had her back on us, Diana looked at me with wide smile on her face.

“You can thank me later.” she whispered.

“I hate you”

"No, you don’t” she giggled and followed Aella.

I stared at her, and shook my head. That girl was unbelievable.

* * *

 

Contrary to what we both believed, the Queen not only didn’t prohibit our training but also started encouraging it. Antiope’s training sessions became harder, and bruises started covering my body. The weapons with which we fought were more dangerous, and we had to be careful if we didn’t want to hurt each other. But Diana always fought too recklessly and one day she brought her sword down on me too fast. I didn’t have time to raise mine to block her blow, and I instinctively put my arm in front of me. The sword clashed against me, I could feel the blade against my scales, but there was no pain. I opened my eyes, which I had closed involuntarily, and stared at the scene before me. Diana was on her back, looking as shocked as me.

“Ariadne!”

My mom was by my side in a second. She carefully grabbed my right arm and searched it for any wound. But there weren’t any. The greenish scales covering my arm up until the elbow and part of the back of my hand were intact. I stared at her, searching for answers in her eyes. But I could only find surprise and worriedness in them. And even a glint of fear. I had never seen my mother scared before.

“Again” she said with a serious tone “and next time be ready to defend yourself, Ariadne. A real enemy will never hesitate in hurting you.”

I nodded and pretended her harsh tone didn’t affect me. Diana scrambled to her feet and picked up her sword from the forest floor. I waited for her to be ready and then I attacked.

 

That night, I heard my mothers argue. I knew couples argued sometimes, but that argument seemed different. I didn’t understand most of what they were saying, but I soon realised they were talking about me.

“I told you it was going to happen, but you didn’t listen.” Mena scoffed.

“Nothing has happened” answered Antiope with an annoyed tone “you’re just overreacting.”

“Why are you so afraid then?” asked Mena.

Her question was answered by silence. I heard someone sigh, and a hissed curse. I lied still in my bed, trying to hear anything that was happening downstairs. Soon enough, the silence broke again.

“I’ve _seen_ it Antiope” said Mena, putting a strange emphasis in the word.

“I know” Antiope sounded tired.

“Then why are we even discussing this?”

“You know why”

Another sigh was heard.

“She might not be of my blood, but she is my daughter” Antiope continued “she is our daughter. The daughter of the General and the Lieutenant of the Amazons. She must know how to fight!”

My mother had been raising her voice as she was speaking, and she almost yelled the last words.

“You know what will happen if you continue training her!” snapped Mena back.

“She has to know how to defend herself!” Antiope was now yelling.

“She already knows how!” answered Mena in the same tone “for the love of the Gods Antiope, why don’t you listen to yourself for a second? Have you forgotten who the Godkiller really is?!”

Her words left me confused. The Godkiller was a weapon, not a person.

“No, I haven’t! But what am I supposed to do? I can’t just stand there watching all you have seen come true! I have to help her in any way I can, and right now that means teaching her how to wield a sword!”

“Knowing how to wield a sword won’t help her! The enemy waiting for her in the future is not the one you kill with a pointy end!”

“I know!” Antiope screamed.

A loud thump was heard, as if someone had thrown something. I hid under the covers, my heart beating fast in my chest. It was the first time I heard my mom sounding so furious. A long silence fell upon the house.

“I know” my mom repeated. This time, her voice was merely a whisper “I just can’t lose her. I can’t.”

Her voice broke at the last syllable.

“I know” Mena’s voice was softer this time “I don’t want to lose her either. And that’s why you need to stop training her.”

There was a silence again. I waited a few seconds for them to talk again. But instead, I heard someone climbing the stairs. I quickly closed my eyes pretending to be asleep. The soft steps approached my room and suddenly stopped in front of it. I tried to keep my breath even and laid as still as I could. The steps entered the room and then I felt a pair of lips against my forehead.

"Take care of her, will you?” I recognised Mena’s voice. She must have been talking to Plato. I waited for my mom to live the room and until I heard her room’s door close I didn’t open my eyes. My cat’s green ones were staring back at me. I scratched him behind the ears, and he started purring.

“Come” I whispered as I lifted the bed covers.

He quickly went to lie beside me. I pulled him closer to my chest, his whiskers tickling my face. I softly kissed his fur and tried to relax. But after what I had just heard, sleep didn’t come quickly to me.

 

When I went to have breakfast the next morning, I found Mena sitting in one of the wooden chairs. She was lost in her thoughts, but as she heard me her face lit up. She was about to speak, but I interrupted her.

“Where’s mom?” I hesitantly asked. She sighed and her smile disappeared.

“She left early” there was a pause “she had to train Diana.”

I bit my lip, unsure whether to tell her or not that I had been eavesdropping last night. I finally decided to keep it a secret, at least until I had told Diana about it.

“I thought she was training me too?” I asked, pretending to be confused.

“Your mother and I have been speaking” she pointed to the chair in front of her and waited for me to seat down before continuing to speak. “an Amazon must know more than just how to wield a weapon. A true warrior cultivates not only her body, but also her mind.”

She looked at me, making sure that I understood her words. She seemed pleased with my attention and was about to continue, but I interrupted her. Again.

“Will Diana have to cultivate her mind too?” I asked hopefully.

If we weren’t going to train together anymore, I wouldn’t spend as much time with her as I used to. And I didn’t particularly like the idea. My mom sighed and shook her head.

“I know you two are young, and that right now it seems like nobody else matters more than her… But you should try to talk with other women. Some might surprise you.”

I tilted my head, surprised by the change of subject, and made a face.

“Everyone sees me as a child. I don’t think there are many possibilities for me to make… new friends.” Not that I wanted to. I was happy with Diana, I didn’t need anyone else.

“Come, I want to show you something.” Mena stood up, a mysterious smile on her lips, and walked to the door. I stared at her in shock before following her. Apparently there was no breakfast that morning. My stomach grumbled in annoyance.

My mom took the pathway that lead to town, and I curiously imitated her. Where was she taking me? As we got closer to the small city, the number of Amazons we encountered grew. Every woman on the island was a warrior, but not all of them spent everyday on the training grounds. A lot of them had many other tasks to attend to, and they filled the streets with life. My mom greeted every one of them, and in return they bowed respectfully to the Lieutenant. Even I had to admit she looked impressive, with her red cloak and her long spear.

Soon we arrived at the town’s main square, and I discovered Mena’s intentions. She led me to an imposing building and, although it wasn’t the first time I had seen it, I couldn’t help but marvel at its magnificence. It looked like a temple, and in a way it was. A temple dedicated to knowledge. It was fully covered in white marble and gold, a true masterpiece of Amazonian architecture. A stairway led to its enormous double doors, which were wide open in an inviting gesture. On either side of the staircase, the statues of Athena and Apollo kept watch over the women below.

I curiously followed my mother in, wondering what we were doing there. The silence immediately embraced us, and I could smell the unmistakable scent of old paper and dust in the air. Mena walked through the labyrinth of shelves filled with scrolls without doubting even one which turn to take. I quickly followed her, not wanting to get lost. I saw a few Amazons as we walked, some were reading scrolls while others seemed to be organising some of the shelves. None of them were speaking, respecting the library’s silence.

As we went deeper into the library, the shelves started to disappear and long tables began to replace them. I had never seen that part of the library, and I stared in awe at everything that surrounded us. The Amazons there dedicated their attention not to scrolls as the ones I had seen just a seconds ago, but to a wide range of artistic activities. Some were painting, and I immediately envied their talent. The figures on their canvas looked so real that it seemed like they would start moving at any moment. Others were sculpting statues, or knitting beautiful tapestries. I was shocked, I didn’t know there were so many Amazons filled with talent.

I suddenly stopped in my tracks when my eyes fell upon a particular statue. It was tall, and completely made by white marble. But what caught my attention was the fact that the figure wasn’t female. It had a sharp chin, and muscled arms and legs. His chest was muscled too but in a strange way and it didn’t have breasts. My brows furrowed in confusion. Then, the Amazon sculpting it took a step back to admire her work. Unintentionally, she did also give me a better way of the low part of the statue. And between its legs… wow, that was definitely new.

“Enjoying the view?” said a voice beside me, startling me.

I turned to find Penthesilea looking back at me, a smirk on her face. I blushed and avoided eye contact, feeling like she had found me doing something I wasn’t supposed to do. The situation probably seemed more awkward than it really was, but I had never really spoken to her. Actually, one of the few interactions we had was what I started calling “the flower incident”. I really hoped she didn’t remember seeing me talking to a lily. I simply shrugged, not really knowing what to answer. She chuckled, and smiled brightly at me.

“I know what you are wondering, but I also know you won’t ask me if you are right.” she pointed at the sculpture and winked at me “So yes, that is what a man looks like.”

I stared at her, surprised, and then turned my eyes back to the statue.

“Of course, they are not all good-looking. But some, well, they are hard not to look at.” She smiled, but it was a sad one. I guessed there was something she wasn’t telling me, but I kept quiet not wanting to pry on her private thoughts.

“There you are!”

I turned around and saw Mena walking at me while shaking her head.

“I’ve been looking for you.” she looked at Penthasilea with a smile “but I see there was nothing to worry about.”

“I’m sorry Mother, I got distracted.” I apologised and blushed again.

Mena arched her brow in confusion. Penthasile pointed at the statue and gave her a meaningful look. My mother started laughing and I blushed even more.

“I see. Well, I should probably tell you why we are here before you got distracted again.”

I suddenly snapped to attention, curious. Mena patted Penthasilea’s arm softly and looked back at me.

“Remember what I told you before about cultivating your mind?”

I nodded.

“I asked Penthasilea if she could be your teacher and she accepted. What do you think?”

I involuntarily frowned, remembering the time when me and Diana had to go to school. I didn’t have a lot of fond memories about it, except for when my friend and I would run away from our teachers. Penthesilea immediately realised I wasn’t loving the idea.

“Your mother told me you like to paint, and I happen to know a few things about it. Would that interest you?” I stared at her in surprise. Then I looked at my surroundings, and at the pieces of art the Amazon’s were creating. A small smile started to stretch my lips.

“I think I would like that, very much in fact.”

My mom looked really happy at my words and, strangely, she also seemed relieved. But I ignored it, too focused on imagining what would Penthesilea teach me.

* * *

 

“So, what do you think?” I asked. Diana and I were lying on my bed side by side, our arms barely touching. I had just told her everything, and I felt extremely relieved after talking to her. I looked at her, waiting for her reply. She had a thoughtful gesture on her face, and a few seconds passed before she opened her mouth.

“I…I’m not sure” she turned her head to stare at me “it’s just…I heard some palace guards talking a few days ago.”

I sent her a questioning glance, not knowing what that had to do with what I had told her. She sighed and continued.

“At first I didn’t understand what they were saying, but now that you’ve told me this…it makes a little more sense.”

“What were they talking about?” I asked curiously.

“Something about Mena having a gift from the gods” she looked into my eyes “they said she could see.”

I furrowed my brows but didn’t interrupt her.

“After the gods died her gift was taken away from her. But” she made a pause to make sure I was listening “when you arrived at Themyschira she was able to see again.”

“Are you saying my mom was blind before I got here?”

It was the most logical conclusion, but I didn’t make a lot of sense.

“That’s what I thought at first” Diana leaned toward me and started whispering “but then I asked Phillipus. Do you know what she told me?”

I shook my head, my eyes wide.

“Long before the Amazons arrived here, when they still walked among men, Mena was an Oracle. She could see the future, it was her mission to protect her sisters for what had to come. When the gods fell, she lost her sight. Everyone thought it was lost forever, until you arrived.”

“My mom…can see the future?” I whispered in shock.

“Yes, and that’s not all” Diana sounded impatient and she grasped my hands “lately, Menalippe has been visiting my mother quite frequently. She always looks worried and the last time I saw her…she was crying. I’ve tried to spy on them, but I haven’t been able to. One thing I know: whatever our mothers have been talking about, it’s bad.”

I opened my mouth, but I couldn’t speak. I involuntarily started trembling and clutched Diana’s hands tightly.

“Are you saying, something bad is going to happen…to me?” I gulped.

“What? No!” she shook her head fervently and started drying my cheeks with her thumbs. I didn’t realise I had started crying.

“Why not? It makes sense” I took in a shuddering breath “my mom saw that something bad was going to happen to me, that’s why she had the argument with Antiope…”

“No!” Diana suddenly pushed me against her, embracing me tightly “nothing bad is going to happen to you. I won’t let it.”

My cheeks reddened at her words.

“But Diana…”

She pulled back and stared right at my eyes. Her glare was filled with the determination.

“What Mena saw was the return of Ares,” she said with a serious tone “that’s why she has been visiting my mother. Stopping the God of War is the duty of the Amazons. She had that argument with Antiope because she knows that, for us to defeat Ares we need your special power. That’s why you have started a new training, to train your mind.”

I stared at her dumbfounded, my minded full with too many questions. I would have thought she was joking in other circumstances, but she looked dead serious.

“What do you mean by us? And I don’t have any special power, my body is just covered by scales. I don’t think that would be very useful against a God.” ç

Diana scuffed, clearly irritated by my lack of cooperation.

“By us I mean you, me and the Godkiller. Obviously” she seemed slightly offended by the question “and you do have a special gift! Stop denying it.”

Ever since I had confessed to her that Antiope might have heard my thoughts while we were drowning, and that that was why she had come to our rescue, she was completely sure that I had special mind abilities. Which was absolutely ridiculous.

“I don’t.”

Diana groaned and rolled her eyes.

“Then how do you explain that sometimes you know what I’m thinking?”

“Diana, I’ve known you my entire life. Guessing someone’s thoughts it’s not that difficult.”

“Okay then” she propped herself on her elbows “what am I thinking now?”

I sighed and pretended to think about it.

“I don’t know. Are you thinking about Ares?”

“No” Diana said slightly annoyed “you didn’t even try.”

“Okay, okay.” I sighed and stared into her beautiful brown eyes.

I tried to relax and just, open my mind, even though I considered it a waste of time. We stayed like this for a few seconds, until I decided I had proved my point. But when I was about to speak, I heard a soft murmur. It was as if someone was whispering into my ear, but the voice was too faint to understand what it was saying. Without being completely aware of it, I raised my hand and gently put it on Diana’s temple. She stayed still, as if afraid of disturbing my concentration. I focused on the voice and it gradually became louder and louder until I could understand it. _I love you._ The words sounded clear in my head and my breath hitched. I couldn’t believe it. _I love you. I love you, Ariadne. I love you._ The whisper had become a song inside my mind and it brushed aside whatever doubts I still had.

“I love you too.” I whispered, barely moving my lips.

Diana smiled brightly and bend down to kiss me softly. My hand was still on her temple and it slowly descended to cup her cheek. When she pulled away, a fierce determination shone on her eyes.

“You and me, we will go to Man’s World and we will defeat Ares. He won’t have a chance against us and men will finally be free from his influence.”

I wished to be as sure as she was, but I wasn’t. The fall of the Gods was just a story our moms read to us when we were young, it couldn’t be real. Or could it? I couldn’t deny that I had some kind of abilities, and apparently my mom did too. And Diana, she looked so beautiful and fierce, like a true Amazon. It was so difficult to not believe her.

“You know it will be dangerous.” I warned.

“I don’t mind, as long as we are together nothing will be impossible.”

She kissed me again, this time more passionately, and I forgot what I was going to say. I tangled my fingers on her hair and enjoyed the feeling of her body pressed against mine.


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiii everyone! I know, I know, how the hell do I mange to update so slowly? It's kind of a gift I guess. No,but seriously, I'm really sorry about the long wait. A lot of things happened in the last months, and let's just say I got distracted with a few things (yes, I'm looking at you,The Last Jedi, the Greatest Showman and Asassin's Creed, I swear the Frye twins are going to be the death of me.) But anyway, I finally managed to seat down and write, so yaaay me! Once more thank you all for you're patience and your support, specially to Frosfire who is always commenting! You're all awesome! By the way, this is the last chapter before I start with the movie timeline, so get ready (if I manage to update...) There's a bit of angst, but it's mostly fluff. Enjoy! :)

I stared at the freshly planted flowers, trying to feel something. Anything. But there was just an empty feeling inside my chest. I wished I could cry, but my eyes were dry. I gripped the shovel a little tighter, making my knuckles turn white. Themyschira was supposed to be a paradise, a place where anyone could be safe. There were no illnesses, no pain, no death, right? Wrong.

“We will all miss him” Diana said, an arm wrapped around my waist.

“He was a great cat” Artemis cleared her throat “a bit fat, but a gentle animal without any doubt.”

We all stood in a circle around Plato’s grave, in our garden. Both my moms stood by my side, and Artemis and Phillipus were there too. Epione, Penthesilea, and even Hyppolita had come to our humble ceremony. Of course, Diana was there too, saying goodbye with me. Mena had insisted to plant some flowers over the patch of dirt and I had to admit it had been very thoughtful. It just seemed like we had decided to redecorate our garden, and the flowers brought a sparkle of colour to the otherwise grey ceremony. It had happened so fast. One day Plato was completely fine and the next one he was sick. True, he was old, but it still seemed like it wasn’t fair. I had asked Epione for help, but although she was the most skilled healer on Themyschira, she couldn’t do anything for him. She did make his last days less painful, though, and I would be forever grateful to her for that.

As the sun went down and the sky turned darker, the Amazons left and went to their houses. Epione was the first to leave, followed by Penthesilea. The Amazon hugged me tightly and told me that she would understand if I didn’t go to the library with her next day. But I assured her I would be there. The last thing I needed right then was free time. Artemis left shortly after, declining my moms’ invitation to stay for dinner. Pilliphus, however, waited until the Queen had said her goodbyes and accompanied her and Diana back to the palace. There probably wasn’t a single Amazon on the island who hadn’t noted how close Phillipus was becoming to Hyppolita. According to what Artemis had told me one night after a few drinks, the Amazon had been in love with her Queen for quite a long time. She said she was happy her friend had finally decided to listen to her feelings and I couldn’t help but to agree with her. Hyppolita laughed more when Phillipus was around, and Diana had told me that since her mother started spending more time with the warrior she looked happier. So, it was pretty obvious to me that seeing Hyppolita and Phillipus together would soon become a usual thing.

I watched as Diana left, the taste of her lips still lingering on mine after her goodbye kiss. But unfortunately, as the night fell the knot on my stomach only grew. I went directly to bed as I couldn’t even fathom the idea of eating. I lied still on my bed, listening to the hushed sounds of the night and trying to ease my mind. But I just couldn’t. It looked like I would spend a restless night.

But then, breaking the stillness of the air, I heard someone calling me in a whispering voice. I sat up and searched the darkness surrounding me for the source of the voice, but found nothing. The whisper was heard again. It seemed like it came from outside my window. Confused, I kicked the covers off and put my bare foot on the cold ground. I walked to the window and looked down to the garden, not really knowing what I would find. Diana was there, a big smile on her face. A cloak covered her shoulders and hid what looked like her nightgown from view. I stared at her with a shocked expression. What was she doing there?

“Are you going to let me in or what? It’s cold outside.” Her tone was humorous and light, as if she thought that the situation we found ourselves in was completely normal.

“What are you doing here?” I asked finally voicing my thoughts.

“Well, you and Plato used to sleep together every night” she said, her smile faltering “and I just thought that, maybe, you felt a little alone in that bed all by yourself.”

My cheeks reddened as I understood the real meaning of her words.

“Will you let me in, please?” Diana asked again seeing that I wasn’t going to talk “I wasn’t joking about the cold.”

I nodded quickly, not really trusting my mouth to say anything remotely coherent. But then I realised that the only way in was through the door, and I didn’t think it was a good idea that my moms knew about Diana’s unexpected visit. I was going to tell that to her, but suddenly she started climbing the house’s wall with ease. I shook my head in disbelief, that girl was definitely something else.

Soon enough, Diana’s head popped before me, a mischievous smile on her lips. I stood to the side, allowing her to jump in. As we were standing face to face, I suddenly realised that, even thought I had grown taller as the years passed, she still towered before me. Which made feel like I was shorter than I really was. Diana shrugged off her coat and it fell with a soft thump on the floor. As I had suspected, she was wearing he nightclothes. Which meant that she had sneaked out of the palace without her mother knowing.

“You could get in trouble” I noted.

“I don’t care” she quickly answered.

She closed the space between us and wrapped her arms around me. Her eyes sparkled in the moonlight.

“I was worried about you” she confessed.

“I’m fine” I mumbled.

She sighed and pressed her lips softly against my forehead. I leaned into her touch and felt my body relax a little.

“I couldn’t sleep” I admitted.

“I suspected as much” Diana chuckled “that’s why I’m here”

Reluctantly, I stepped out of her embrace and climbed on my bed. She quickly followed my lead and lied beside me under the covers. Our arms were touching but it was as if we both hesitated to lean closer. It looked like Diana had lost her usual confidence and I quickly thought of something to say to break the sudden tension.

“I hope you don’t snore.”

Diana laughed quietly and a small simile appeared on my lips.

“Is it okay if, if I come closer?” she asked hesitantly after a pause.

I turned my head to look at her. Her eyes were staring back expectantly, but I could see a certain worriedness in them. I nodded and she let out a sigh, as if she had been holding it. She circled my waist with her arm and pulled me closer. I rested my head on her chest, embracing her with my arms. Her familiar scent filled my lungs and I instinctively relaxed in her arms. Diana started stroking my hair and, finally, the hole in my chest became more bearable. I kissed her neck and she hummed.

Before falling asleep, I reached out with my recently discovered ability and searched for Diana’s mind, which was becoming more and more familiar. I quickly found it, it was a like beacon in the dark, and sent a whispered message: _Thank you_.

“Sleep, my love. I will be here when you wake up” Diana murmured.

That was only the first of many nights where we slept in each other’s arms.

 

* * *

 

 

“That’s not bad at all, Ariadne” Penthasilea praised me.

“Thank you” I answered without looking up, my attention entirely focused on the paper before me.

The mighty Hercules stared back at me with a proud look on his face. I furrowed my brows in concentration as I tried to shadow the lion fur covering his shoulders just right. We were in Themyschira’s library, just like every morning. Penthasilea had insisted that I had to learn to draw man too, not just women. And she had suggested that I should look at the other Amazons’ work to get some inspiration. As it had turned out, the scene where the Greek hero stole Hyppolita’s belt was a recurrent theme. And so, I had decided to try to draw the man myself. After a few disastrous attempts, it was finally turning far better than I expected.

“Thank you” I smiled to the Amazon.

She smiled back and turned her attention back to the pile of books in front of her. She was probably preparing our next lesson. A sudden thought crossed my mind.

“Pen?” I asked, calling her by the nickname I heard other Amazons use.

As our classes together had become more of a habit, I found myself getting closer to her and enjoying her company.

“Yes?” she said.

“Do you remember when it happened?” I asked pointing at the drawing with my head “when Hercules stole Hyppolita’s belt?”

Her smile faltered slightly and I worried I had said something wrong.

“Why are you asking?”

“Simple curiosity” I answered honestly and shrugged.

Pen sighed and rubbed her temple, like she had a sudden headache. She didn’t say anything for a few seconds and I was going to take the question back when she finally spoke.

“I was already an Amazon back then, if that’s what you were asking.”

It wasn’t, but seeing how my words had affected her I didn’t really want to push the subject. However, she probably saw my struggle and sighed again.

“That day…” she paused, lost in thought for a moment, before continuing “that day I had gone hunting with Aella and Artemis. When we returned, the other’s told us everything” she turned to me “so I can’t really explain to you what really happened.”

She had spoken quickly, her words smashing against each other. She didn’t usually act that way, but I just decided to drop it. If there was something she didn’t want to tell me, that was perfectly fine. It wasn’t my business after all. But I found myself feeling hurt for her lack of trust in me. Which was completely stupid. I promptly returned to my drawing, trying to stop my mind from thinking anymore about it. Penthasilea returned to the books too, and a awkward silence fell over us. It was the first time since she had begun teaching me that I felt uncomfortable with her.

 

“Yep, she’s definitely hiding something.” Diana said.

I had just told her what had happened at the library. At first I wasn’t sure, but I was glad I did. There was no point in worrying about it alone. However, when she gave me her mischievous smile I asked myself if it had been a good idea.

“She said that she went hunting with Aella and Artemis, right?” she asked, her eyes shining with excitement.

I nodded, afraid of what she might say next.

“Then we should talk to them!” she stood up, emphasising her words.

“Absolutely not.” I immediately said.

“Why not?” Diana huffed “come on, it will be fun!”

“I don’t want to invade her privacy like that!” I explained “if she doesn’t want to talk about it, it must be for a reason. And we should respect that.”

“Fine” Diana sighed and sat down again.

She pulled up a few strings of grass and started breaking them with her fingers. I rolled my eyes at her antics.

“I thought you wanted to show me what my mom has taught you today” I started with a half-smile.

She huffed but didn’t answer. She could be so melodramatic sometimes. But two could play at that game.

“Okay then” I stood up and shook the dirt off my tunic “in that case, I’ll go and do something more interesting than just sit here while you’re sulking.”

I started to walk but only managed to take a few steps before Diana grabbed my hand and pulled me to her. I didn’t know if she had done it intentionally or not, but I ended up sprawled over her.

“So I’m not interesting enough huh?” she quirked her eyebrow. I tried not to blush but failed miserably.

“Not really” I said with the most straight face I could muster.

Her eyes glistened with mischievousness before she pressed her lips to mine, immediately crumbling my façade. I answered the kiss eagerly, pressing my body closer to hers. I could feel her smiling against my lips, and my heart fluttered.

 

* * *

 

 

_A desolated city surrounded me. The ruins and debris covered everything, and the air was thick with dust. A heavy silence hung above it, and even though I knew that there was something wrong about, I was perfectly calm about it. As I scanned my surroundings more closely, I realized that there were bodies scampered over every surface. And I knew with certainty that they were dead and that…that I was in part responsible for it. I wanted to scream, to run, to do anything except stand there watching. But I just couldn’t. My body didn’t feel my own anymore._

_And then, a cry of pain and anger was heard. The sound added a note of realness into the scene, sharpening my senses. I turned my head and it took me a second to realise what I was seeing. Diana stood there in front of me. She looked older, all trace of her teenage years completely vanished. In her hand she wielded a sword and she was wearing an armour. What looked a lot like Antiope’s tiara rested on her black curls. And…was that the Lasso of Hestia hanging from her belt? Could it be? She cried again, and it downed me that it was her who had made the first sound. Her face was twisted in a grimace of pain and hatred, her eyes two black bottomless pits of anger and despair. I’ve had never seen her like that and it truly scared me. It terrified me. What was the cause of her suffering?_

_“Diana” I felt my lips move of their own accord and my voice made me shiver. There was a sharp edge on it, a malice I didn’t know I had._

_“Don’t you dare” she spoke in an even tone, but her words carried so much weigh that they made me want to take a step back. But my body didn’t move. I felt a smile stretch my face. But there was something wrong about it, I was showing too much teeth. I tsked._

_“Now, is that the way of greeting an old friend?” Diana visibly flinched, but her anger did not subdue._

_“You’re not her. She died a long time ago” she averted her gaze for a moment. But when she looked back at me, it was with renewed strength._

_“True” I sighed “what a pity, isn’t it? But we both know whose fault is it, and it’s not mine.”_

_She cried again and charged against me with her sword held upright. I stared at her, in shock, barely noticing when my arm lifted. I did hear, however, the sound that made the rocks behind me when they shifted. Right before I saw them describing an arch above me (was it I who was lifting them?), and as I followed them with my eyes I realised a little too late where would they land. Diana stopped in her tracks and covered her body with her arms, but what could she do against the concrete?_

I woke up to screams, but they weren’t mine. I laid on my bead, my skin covered in sweat and my throat burning. My breath came in ragged gasps and my hand clenched the crumbled sheets beneath me, trying to find something to hold on to. I heard my mom’s whispering voices down the corridor. I couldn’t understand what they were saying, but I knew that Antiope was probably was trying to get Mena to calm down.

It was the sixth night that month that that happened. The first time, I couldn’t quite comprehend what I had seen, and I thought it had been just a nightmare. But when it happened again, it all started to make sense. Specially after I discovered that Mena had nightmares too, the same nights I did. It hadn’t been difficult to connect the dots: somehow, my mind connected to Mena’s while we slept enabling me to “see” her nightmares. Only they weren’t nightmares. They were probably visions and that terrified me. I always ended up hurting Diana in them, and I couldn’t stand the idea of me being the cause of her pain. And they always showed us fighting too, which didn’t make sense at all. I couldn’t even imagine a situation where Diana hated me so much she really wanted to fight, probably to death. I hadn’t told her about them. How could I?

 

 

As Mena’s visions continued, I became more and more distant to everything and everyone around me. Diana obviously noticed first, but I just pushed her away and assured her I was okay. My moms knew something was wrong too, but I refused to talk about it. Even Pen realised I was too focused on my drawings and that I was overworking myself, but I evaded her questions. What was I supposed to say to them? I hadn’t told anyone, except Diana, about my abilities. In truth, I feared their reactions. Specially my mom’s. Had Mena seen things I knew nothing of? Would they be scared for me, or worst, because of me? I thought it was best to just stay silent.

But my mind replayed the images of my nightmares once and once again, until I could barely sleep. I spent most nights staring at the ceiling, wondering what I was supposed to do. During daytime, I spent most my time at the library in solitude. Diana stopped trying to break my walls and decided to give me some space. Which hurt terribly. I soon learned that, while I had never mind spending time alone, I didn’t like being lonely in the slightest. And to know that I was the cause of this loneliness was even worst. It wasn’t long until the situation became unbearable. I missed my mom’s, I missed Diana, I missed mi life.

But one day, while I was at the library, Pen came to me and told me that she needed to tell me something. I followed her into one of the library’s open spaces, a small circular stone courtyard surrounded by columns. It was raining, and the sound of the raindrops hitting the ground was strangely soothing. Probably because the noise filled my mind and stopped the frantic thoughts, at least momentarily. Pen sat down on the steps that led into the courtyard, and gestured to the space beside her. I sat down in silence and looked at her not really knowing what to expect.

She sighed.

“I might not have known you for long, but I do know that you’re not okay, despite your attempts at hiding it.”

I tensed instinctively and she noticed it. She put a comforting hand on my shoulder, and it felt…good.

“I won’t pressure you to tell me anything” she assured me “but…I do want to give you some advice.”

I nodded.

“I’m not going to lie, I’ve made mistakes. Huge, horrible mistakes. And I know that I’ll never have the opportunity to fix them. I’ll never be able to apologise to the people I’ve hurt. It’s too late. But not for you” she looked at me, and her eyes showed a sadness I had never seen before “you can still make things right. And if at least one of us can follow the right path, well, it will be enough.”

She fell silent again. There was a hidden context behind her words, and she spoke with such…resignation and regret. I wondered what had happened to her, what had she done to feel like this.

“What I want to say is…there’s people who care about you” she squeezed my hand gently “please don’t push us away. Sometimes, bad things happen just because people won’t talk to each other. I don’t want you to be like this, Ariadne.”

She paused.

“And if you’re afraid of how people might react to your words, just know that the ones who love you will continue to do so no matter what.”

She went quiet again. I didn’t know how to answer to her words, and I realised that I didn’t have to. Pen had told me already: she just wanted to give me some advice. There was no need for me to repay the favour.

“Thank you” I whispered.

“You’re welcome” she whispered back, and for the first time in weeks my lips twitched into a small smile. I wanted to say something else, but I soon realised that it wasn’t her to whom I wanted to speak.

“I have to…huh…”

“Go” she simply said.

I nodded gratefully and stood up quickly. I heard the outraged comments behind me as I ran trough the library, but I honestly couldn’t care less. When I stepped outside, the rain soon soaked me completely, but I ignored it too. None of that mattered.

When I arrived at the palace I was caked with mud and my lungs ached, but I still had enough strength in me to ran past the guards and enter the building. My feet carried me to Diana’s chambers but to my surprise, I found her talking in the hall with my moms. But I didn’t stop to think about the meaning of the scene in front of me, as I simply jumped into Diana’s surprised arms. But she caught me nonetheless, pulling me closer to her in an almost instinctive gesture.

“ImsosorrypleaseforgicemeohImissedyousomuch” my words crashed against one another until they had no meaning at all.

“It’s okay” Diana soothed me “it’s all going to be okay.”

“Diana’s right” Mena put her hand on my shoulder.

I slightly moved away from Diana’s embrace to look at her.

“She told us about your abilities” Antiope explained, and her eyes showed both regret and pain.

I opened my mouth to answer but Mena hushed me with a gesture.

“I think we all need to apologise for keeping secrets to one another, and there’s definitely a lot of explaining that needs to be done” she said “but for now, I’m just happy that you’re back.”

She pulled both me and Diana into a hug, and it wasn’t long until I felt Antiope’s arms wrapping around me too. For the first time in weeks, I felt warm and safe and sure. How could I have forgotten how many people had my back? The future was uncertain, that was an understatement, but I was no longer afraid of it,


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Yes, we're finally in the movie. This chapter is shorter than usual becouse I wanted to write something nice before al the angst and sadness arrived, so I apologise in advance. Next one will probably be a little bit longer. Anyway, thank you all for your support and patience! You are all amazing! I'll try to post the new update soon, but I can't promise anything becouse I'm actually planning to start a new fic (I know, I know, I can barely manage to keep up with a story, why the hell would I start a new one...) but still, I'll try my best! Enjoy :)

The sound of fighting echoed in the small meadow. All eyes were on the women fighting on its centre, trying not to miss any detail. To an outsider, the battle might have seemed unfair, as all the warriors were fighting against a single opponent, but the Amazon managed to knock them out one by one without breaking a sweat. I couldn’t help but smirk as my lover proved herself in front of the whole island.

Diana glanced up to the hillside, where the Queen watched surrounded by her guard. She then looked up to me, and I smiled at her encouragingly. She winked at me, a playful smile on her lips, before she blocked the sword of her next opponent.

As I followed her movements, my mind remembered all those moments that had led to where I was now. We both had changed, a lot, but we did it together and that fact alone had made everything a little less terrifying. Sometimes, we had to do things on our own: Diana had to keep up with Antiope’s training, that became harder and harder as years passed; and I had to learn to control my “abilities” and come to terms with the fact that my scales hadn’t stopped conquering my skin, on the contrary. By then, they already covered my left cheek almost entirely and had started to grow towards my nose. There was little left skin on my right arm, and the ones on my foot were slowly but surely climbing up my leg. On top of that, new scales were starting to grow just below my belly button. But despite our personal wars, there were still a lot experiences we could live together. Like reading the books I found at the library one day, the twelve volumes of Clio’s Treatises on Bodily Pleasure. They came with drawings, which were extremely helpful, and I had read them so many times I could quote short paragraphs from them. Obviously, my mom’s knew nothing of that.

A mighty cry broke my train of thought, bringing me back to the battle that was taking place in front of me. Artemis was fighting Diana, and my heart trembled in worry. But it seemed that the feeling was completely unnecessary, for even though Artemis was one of the best warriors the Amazon Nation had, it looked like Diana had no problem in keeping up with her. Actually, if I looked closer, it seemed as if she was presenting a real challenge to the older Amazon.

The women that surrounded me were whispering to each other, and I could see how a few coins changed hands. Whoever didn’t put her bet on Diana, would be a fool. She was going to win, she would show everyone what those long years of training had taught her. Even her mother would have to accept that Diana had grown to be a true a warrior.

Just as I expected, soon enough Artemis was on the ground, Diana’s sword under her chin. The older women bowed her head, accepting her defeat. I smiled broadly, my heart swelling with pride, but my euphoria was cut short. My mother, Antiope, had drawn her sword and was approaching Diana without hesitation. I furrowed my brows and waited. Teacher and apprentice circled each other, parring each other’s strikes while waiting for a slip, a mistake that would tip the balance in their favour. However, I soon realised that their movements were fast, and brutal. If anything went wrong, one of them, or even both, could be seriously injured.

I nervously stood up, incapable of staying still. My mom must had known what she was doing, but I still felt uneasy. But it was clear from Diana’s grin that she was enjoying, the thrill of the fight probably rushing though her veins. She was driving Antiope backwards, striking her with a force and power that I had rarely seen her show. Finally, Diana hammered the sword out of Antiope’s hand with such a blow that the weapon cartwheeled through the air. Triumphantly, she pointed the tip of her sword to the general, who raised her hands in surrender.

I felt myself relax and smile, glad it all ended without any incident. Diana looked up at her mother, undoubtedly searching for her approval, when suddenly Antiope got up and pushed her, sending her sprawling to the ground. She then picked up Diana’s sword and used it to slash at her, swaying the weapon dangerously close to her face.

“Never let your guard down” she attacked her again “you expect the battle to be fair. A battle will never be fair!”

She sent another blow in Diana’s direction, and she crossed her arms in front of her in a last attempt to protect herself, her bracelets clanging together. I saw them sizzle, sending a field of pure energy forth, the air rippling and shining as it expanded. I closed my eyes for an instant, trying to shield them from the blinding light. When I opened them again, Antiope was lying on her back on the other side of the field, while Diana stared at her bracelets, visibly shaken.

I simply stared, too confused to do anything, while the Amazons surrounding me sprang into action. I heard whispers and cries of confusion, my mother’s voice the loudest of them all as she ran to Antiope’s side. She helped her to sit up, together with a few other Amazons, and immediately started checking her injuries. I saw Diana opening her mouth, probably to apologise if I was judging her expression correctly, but I was unable to hear her words. Afterwards, she turned and ran, away from the meadow and what had happened. That made me move. I looked down to my mother, making sure that she was okay, and after deciding that she was in good hands I followed Diana.

The noise started to disappear at my back as I went deeper into the green fields, and the sudden silence helped me order my thoughts. I found her on a cliff, and slowed my pace to approach her in a more calming manner. The last thing she needed was seeing me anxious and short of breath.

“I…I don’t know what happened” she whispered, still staring at her hands.

“I know” I told her in my most reassuring voice, and gently put my hand on her shoulder. I could feel her trembling.

“I didn’t mean to…didn’t mean to hurt her” she stared into my eyes with a worried gaze.

“I know” I repeated.

Her gaze dropped down, and I knew that she wasn’t listening to me. Grabbing her by the shoulders, I slowly made her turn to me, but her eyes wouldn’t still meet mine.

“Diana” I called her softly. Her dark orbs finally looked at me “I don’t blame you, you hear me? Whatever happened back there, it wasn’t your fault okay? I am as worried as you are, but we will figure this out, okay? Together.”

I squeezed her shoulders gently to emphasize my words and she nodded, her shaking subsiding.

“Do you think I have abilities like you?” she answered doubtfully, but with a sparkle of excitement on her eyes.

“Maybe” I shrugged, a small smile on my lips.

Her mouth mirrored mine, and I could feel her relax. She opened her mouth to say something, but she had barely parted her lips when a loud noise interrupted her. I turned my eyes skyward and I saw something resembling a bird, only it was the strangest bird I had ever seen. It’s nose was pointing at the sea down below and a trail of smoke followed it. We both stared at the strange object, too surprised to do anything.But when it crashed into the sea, quickly sinking into the blue waters, Diana leaped into action. Completely unhearing my sputtering words of warning, she ran to the end of the climb and jumped into the ocean without a second of hesitation.

I stood there for a few seconds, registering what had just happened. But then reality came crashing down on me and I quickly ran to the cliff’s edge, trying to see Diana in the waters below. Luckily, I could distinguish her figure as she knifed through the waves, desperately trying to reach what was left of the not-really-a-bird thing, which was quickly disappearing below the dark waters.

I forced my brain to think. Diving in after Diana would be completely useless, she was already too far for me to reach her in time. Furthermore, I had already drowned on those waters and I had no intention of repeating the experience. So, the only option that was left was to run to the beach and try to help Diana from there. Without a second thought, I quickly descended from the cliff, jumping over rocks and fallen branches trying to get there as fast as possible.

Finally, my feet touched the sand and I made my way to the coastline. Diana was a few feet away from me, dragging what seemed to be a body with her. The sight made me feel uneasy, but that didn’t stop me from approaching her and help her carry it. The waves clashed against our legs, trying to drag us back into the ocean, and the extra weight certainly didn’t help, but we eventually managed to hit the shore. We dropped the body into the sand and it was then, while I was trying to recover my breath, that I could see the person we had saved. And what I saw made my eyes widen in surprise.

“Diana…” I started, but she already had fallen to her knees next to them, and from her marvelled expression I knew that she too had discovered what I was trying to tell her. It was a _man_. The first man I had ever seen, and probably the first one to even step on Themyschira. And it seemed impossible, it had to be, but he seemed completely real.

Suddenly, the man jerked awake and he stared at both of us with eyes so blue that seemed to contain the sea, the same sea we dragged him out of, within them.


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, um, approximately one year ago I started this story. And now we are on chapter five. I'm not exactly going at lightspeed, I know. I apologise about that. And I thank you all for your patience and support! Thank you all so much! It means a lot, really. Anyway, you haven't waited that long to read me talk. Enjoy!

“You are a…man” said Diana in awe.

I found myself at loss for words, incapable of even making a sound. It was clear that the stranger had come from outside Themyschira, from somewhere beyond the deep ocean. Just like…like me. “

Yes, I mean…” the man’s voice was coarse, but his confused tone was unmistakable “Yeah. Do I not look like a…” he paused again, “Where am I?”

“You are on Themyschira…”

“Who are you?” the words left my mouth before I could stop them.

The man’s eyes turned to me, and he hesitated. But then he saw something behind me that seemed to help him make up his mind.

“I’m one of the good guys” he said and pointed to the sea “and those are the bad guys.”

I turned, confused by his words, and my eyes widened when I saw what he was referring to. Four boats had appeared, and they were speeding for the beach.

“What?” asked Diana.

“The Germans” the man said, and offered no further explanation, “Come on we need to move” he said standing up.

It sounded like the smart thing to do, and I was going to follow him when a voice was heard above us.

“Diana!” The Queen and her guard where standing on horseback on the cliff, prepared for battle. Somehow, they had been alerted of the imminent arrival of those…Germans. But were they really going to fight them?

“Ready your bows!”

Well, apparently yes.

“They have guns, right?” the man asked, wide-eyed, but I barely heard him. There was just too much happening all at once.

Up on the cliff, an Amazon was running down the line of archers lighting their arrowheads with a torch. It was an action I had seen thousands of times before in the training grounds. But I had never imagined I would seen it in a real battle, with real enemies.

“Fire!” ordered Hippolytha.

Flaming arrows sailed high above our heads and fell upon the boats. Screams and yelps filled the air as they found their targets. The sounds awoke me from my dream-like state and I forced my legs to move. Diana seemed to have had the same idea and, together with the strange man, we hurried to a near group of rocks and quickly took cover. Panting, I stole a glance in Diana’s direction and found her dark eyes staring back at me. In them, I saw the same fear and shock I felt.

A sudden war cry caught my attention, and as I turned my eyes to the edge of the cliff I saw a group of Amazons flinging themselves down, a rope attached to the rocks on top of it firmly secured around their waists. And without a moment of hesitation, they started firing arrows at the invaders. Seeing them in action helped me compose myself. Us Amazons, we were warriors. The foolish invaders, whoever they were, had no chance against my mother’s army.

A loud crack was heard, dangerously close, and my head snapped back to its source. One of the attackers was holding a strange weapon, and from it’s end a puff smoke was bursting. Something small and shiny, too quick to see clearly, buzzed pass Diana’s head following a perfect straight line. Until the body of one of the Amazon’s crossed its way, and the small object imbedded itself in her abdomen. The warrior, still readying and arrow into her bow, suddenly went limp and doubled over herself. The bow and arrow fell from her hands, and she hang like a ragdoll from the rope still attached to the cliff. She moved no more. I couldn’t see her face, but her armour was familiar enough. I had seen it beside my mothers plenty of times. If I tried even a little hard, her name would fall from my lips. But I didn’t want to. The light of her mind was…gone. There was only darkness. And I preferred to keep that darkness anonymous.

I forced my head to turn towards the battlefield, ignoring the vision behind me. Luckily, the sound of hundreds of hooves against the sand was soon heard, capturing my attention completely. On the far side of the beach, charging through the stone archway leading to it, a stampede of Amazons on horseback were coming to their sister’s aid. Antiope was leading them, fierce, majestic and every inch the General everyone knew she was. And by her side, red cape fluttering in the wind and spear in hand, Menalippe rode with rage twisting her features.

In any other situation, seeing that picture would have let me in awe, pushing my fear down and fuelling my strength. But then, just after what I had witnessed, it only filled my mind with questions. Could the Amazon army really fight against those Germans? Against their strange weapons capable of killing a woman in mere seconds? I preferred not to answer them, but that didn’t stop me from fearing for my mothers. Was I a coward for wishing they weren’t on the front lines? Would they be ashamed if they knew that those were my thoughts? But could anyone blame me for having them?

“Stay here!” shouted the man, bringing me back to then and there.

Deafening sounds came rushing to me, and I suddenly realised that the number of bodies covering the sand had multiplied. I looked up to see the man rushing to one of the soldiers closest to us, the sun glinting on the knife in his hand. He caught the German by surprise and quickly dispatched them with a precision that one only gets when doing the same action a hundred times. He grabbed the enemy’s weapon and started using it against the attackers.

At that moment, Diana decided she had grown tired of doing nothing and sprang into action. Which didn’t surprise me at all, but did make my heart beat faster than it already was. Without missing a beat, she grabbed a bow and arrow from a fallen sister and started shooting at the Germans. When I saw her arrows struck their targets, a strange feeling started filling my chest. It did look a lot like vengeance, and I decided my time of inaction was over too. I grabbed the sword hanging from by belt, a weapon that had mostly served as a decoration until then, and ran after Diana.

As soon as I stepped out of my hiding spot, I found myself face to face with one of the attackers. I was so close, I was able to see that he was a man too. But I had no time to on the new revelation before I was pushed into action. He seemed to have misplaced his weapon and was instead using a long knife. That I knew how to fight against. Luckily for me and my rusty movements, he wasn’t really good at using the weapon. I quickly sent his knife away with my sword and before he could react I hit him on the head with its pommel, effectively knocking him out. I didn’t really fancy the idea to kill anyone, at least not yet.

I had to fight two more Germans, both men once more, before I arrived to where Diana was. By then, her quiver was empty, and she was having to defence herself with her fists and feet, not that she was having much trouble because of that.

“I need to borrow your sword!” she yelled before grabbing it and deflecting a German’s bayonet with it.

“Hey! How am I supposed fight now?” I said as I ducked a punch directed to my face, and answered with one of my own, which landed on the German’s face with a satisfying crunch. This one was a man too. Interesting.

“You don’t need a sword!” she said, as if stating the obvious “use your powers!”

My blood ran cold.

“You know I can’t do it under pressure!” I said, barely dodging a kick “I need peace and quiet to concentrate!”

“Of course you can, I know you can” Diana sent her enemy sprawling to the floor and turned to me “just because you have never done it doesn’t mean you can’t do it. I trust you.”

He grabbed my hand squeezed it, looking at me with her beautiful dark eyes. For a second, I forgot where we were.

“Okay” I took a deep breath “but I’ll need you to cover me.”

“Always” she smiled, and I found my strength in her gesture.

The moment was broken when a German came at us, and Diana had to jump into the battle again. I, on the other side, scanned the beach looking for anything that I could use to my advantage. The ground was covered in discarded weapons, but I trying to move more than one object at a time seemed impossible even by Diana’s standards. No, I needed something that could knock out more than one enemy at the time. My eyes went to the cliff. If I managed to make a piece of it to fall upon the German’s heads…That could do the trick. Trying to ignore the battle raging around me, I concentrated on the wall of rocks in front of me. I tried to feel it under my fingertips as I raised my hand, imagining what it would be like to feel its hard and cold surface under my skin. I curved my fingers as if holding the wall, and after taking a deep breath, I brought my hand down with a sudden movement.

Nothing happened.

I swallowed, trying fight the panic that was seizing me. I could do it. I just had to try again…

Suddenly, I heard a cry and my eyes immediately turned to its source. My mom, Menallipe, was clutching her thigh as a group of four Germans surrounded her.

“Mena!” I heard Antiope scream, but she too was swarmed with enemies. There was no way she could arrive in time to help her.

The fear filling my body suddenly turned into resolve, and I felt a wave of energy leaving my body. Seconds later, a large rock stumbled down the side of the cliff in the direction of the soldiers. They only had time to look back before it crushed them. Mena quickly finished them off, and I suddenly didn’t feel so proud of my accomplishment. But then my mum locked eyes with me and smiled, nodding in my direction before jumping back into action.

Honestly, I didn’t know how I had done it.

I stared at the rock for a few moments, too stunned to move, before someone rammed into me sending me to the floor. I looked up to see the man Diana and I had saved from drowning, and I felt one off the small buzzy things pass over us. He had saved me.

“Thank you” I said breathless.

“You’re welcome” he said, helping me stand me “just don’t stand still too much.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

I scanned the battlefield, and I was surprised to see that there weren’t many Germans standing left. Diana kicked her last enemy one more time, and the man stopped moving. She looked at me, and smiled.

“I knew you could do it”

“You saw it?” I asked, surprised. I had expected her to be too busy fighting to notice my beginner’s luck. “

Of course I did” she winked at me.

“Watch out!” shouted the man beside me, before shooting a man that was pointing his weapon at us.

His aim was so good the man was dead in an instant. One more prove that the man we had saved was no stranger to killing. I looked at him, both in awe and carefulness, and thus didn’t see the other soldier until it was too late.

“Diana!” I heard Antiope scream.

Time slowed down, and I saw my mother rushing towards her. At the same time, a man barely standing on a bleeding leg aiming his weapon towards my partner. My mother jumped, stepping between the enemy and Diana. I felt a scream making its way towards my mouth, and my ears rang with Mena’s own. Seemingly by its own accord, my arm lifted up towards the German, my palm facing the soldier as if signalling him to stop. And then, once again, I felt a wave of energy leave my body and go through the air until colliding with man. The soldier felt backwards, pushed by that invisible force, but shot his weapon anyway. Antiope’s body fell against the floor rising a cloud of sand.

Things sped up once again, and I felt my legs weaken under me. But that didn’t matter. Diana throw herself at Antiope’s body, hiding her from my body. The almost-drowned man shot the soldier as if by reflex, but stood still afterwards. Mena flashed by me, pushing Diana out of the way while screaming my mom’s name. Hippolytha approached too, and at that moment I realised that I was supposed to do the same.

I forced my legs to move towards their group. Antiope’s head was on Mena’s lap, who was caressing her head with a vacant expression. Diana was clutching her aunt’s hands, refusing to let go. I dropped to my knees beside the Queen, who for the first time in my life looked lost.

“Diana…” my mum’s voice was but a whisper, but the beach was so silent that I could hear her words perfectly “the time has come…you…you must…”

She swallowed, struggling to speak. We all leaned closer.

“Godkiller…Diana, go…Godkiller…” Her voice faltered and her eyes closed, all strength leaving her body.

“Go where?” Diana searched her aunt’s face but found no more signs.

“Antiope!” Mena started sobbing and beside me, the Queen bowed her head in defeat.

It was as if they expected the worst, but I knew better. I could still see my mother’s mind shining, maybe not as brightly as it used to, but it shone. She was alive and nobody was moving!

“Quick! Someone go call Epione!” I yelled, confused my everyone else’s lack of action.

Mena shook her head and looked at me with an indescribable pain in her eyes.

“She’s gone, my dear. She’s gone.”

“No, she’s not!” I insisted, getting frustrated “look!”

I pointed at her chest and sure enough, it was rising and falling.

“She’s alive” whispered Mena, not quite believing it.

“Artemis!” the Queen said, quickly standing up “quickly, go fetch Epione!”

The Amazon didn’t hesitate and soon disappeared from the beach.

“You!” Hippolytha turned her attention to the only man left standing. He instinctively shrunk under her gaze as she approached him.

“Mother, no!” Diana said, still clutching Antiope’s hands “he fought beside Ariadne and I!”

“Men only fight alongside their own people” said the Queen, her voice dropping with hate.

“They weren’t my people” he dropped his weapon on the sand showing his surrender. I admired his braveness.

“Then why do you wear their clothes?” asked Aella, approaching them with her sword firmly held in her hand.

The man sighed and looked down.

“I can’t tell you that.”

“We should kill him right now and be done with it.” Said Venelia, standing beside Aella.

“What’s your name?” asked Hippolytha.

The man sighed again.

“I can’t tell you that either.”

Aella and Venelia seemed ready to kill him right then and there, but Phillipus stopped them.

“He dies, and we know nothing about who they are and why they came.”

She took her place beside Hippolytha and the other Amazon’s stepped back, even if they weren’t entirely happy about it. The man turned his eyes toward me, and I doubted he found the reassurance he needed it on my face. But one thing was clear: he had saved my life, and killed the man who had tried to kill my mother. He had fought beside us, even if he had no guarantee that we would help him back. The least I could do was to return the favour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ariadne is me in the cinema, watching Antiope's death. Like seriously. My initial plan was to follow what the movie showed, but as you can see I've changed my mind. There's already too much sadness in the world, so in my fanfic Antiope is going to live. As she should have in the movie, but whatever. Btw, let's see if I can't finish this before WW 2 comes out. Anyway, thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading and thanks to snerdygeek for always reading my stories and to Airin for being an incredible fan!


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